


Your Mind Written in Blood

by BlaiddGwyn (dragonLeighs)



Category: The Witcher (TV), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: Blood Magic, Cursed Jaskier | Dandelion, Dark Magic, Gen, Hurt Jaskier | Dandelion, Hurt/Comfort, Injured Jaskier | Dandelion, Injury, Jaskier | Dandelion Whump, Protective Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia, Protective Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-16
Updated: 2020-04-16
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:20:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23683783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonLeighs/pseuds/BlaiddGwyn
Summary: A mage has been kidnapping people from a village, including Jaskier, to use as a lab rat for his experimental blood magic. He fails and leaves the bard to wander the abandoned castle until Geralt and Yennefer rescue him.
Relationships: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia & Jaskier | Dandelion, Jaskier | Dandelion & Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg
Comments: 4
Kudos: 206





	Your Mind Written in Blood

**Author's Note:**

> Contains descriptions of injury but nothing super gross.
> 
> Honestly I just felt like putting a little fic out there today, it's been a while since I posted something that wasn't my main fic.
> 
> Hope you're all staying safe during quarantine!

Geralt ran through the narrow passageways, following the sounds of battle as Yennefer fought the mage who had been taking residents of a nearby village. He had been hired to slay a monster, he wouldn’t stop just because it happened to look like a man. Especially since his last victim was his bard.

He rounded a corner to find the large oak doors leading to the main hall blown clean off, splinters blown everywhere. He darted inside to find Yennefer holding the mage in place. She was unable to attack, too much energy going into holding her position. Geralt dashed towards the mage, sword at the ready to deal the killing blow. The mage saw him and broke his concentration, allowing Yennefer to take control of the situation. With a swift blow the mage’s head rolled to the floor.

They were both breathing hard from exertion but they had succeeded. “Yen, where’s Jask? Can you find him?”

Yennefer closed her eyes for a moment, searching the old castle for signs of human life. “Strange, he’s in the east wing,” Yennefer said.

“Is he hurt?”

“I don’t think so but he doesn’t seem himself. Go to him, I’ll make sure no magical traps have been left here and then we can go.”

Geralt only hummed in response before turning and stalking towards the east wing of the once grand castle. It was practically a ruin, obviously one of the first areas to have been abandoned. He kept his senses alert for any sign of danger.

It wasn’t long before he found Jaskier in a dark hallway. He seemed agitated, pacing and mumbling to himself. He was too quiet for even his witcher hearing to pick up on.

“Jaskier,” he said, keeping his voice low.

The bard startled, taking up a defensive stance and holding a dagger out at him. There was no recognition in his face and he seemed terrified, the sharp smell of fear entering the air. The mage must have done something to him.

“Jaskier, it’s me, Geralt,” he went to sheath his sword, causing Jaskier to tense further. He stopped moving his sword, instead holding out his empty hand in what he hoped was a calming gesture. When Jaskier didn’t move again he slowly continued to sheath his sword.

Both hands now empty, he showed the bard he was unarrmed. He tried to make his considerable large bulk look smaller and less threatening, hoping to show he meant no harm. He slowly began edging toward the shaking bard, noticing there was a faint smell of blood about him as well as the smoky smell of dark magic.

Now he was closer he could see tears running down his face and the smell of fear was intensifying. Still, he did not lower the dagger, poised to strike at any moment. He wondered what the mage could have possibly done to him.

“Jaskier, it’s alright. I’m not going to hurt you,” he practically whispered. The last thing he wanted was to cause the bard to flee, or worse, attack him. He was close now, only a few feet away. Jaskier’s eyes never left Geralt’s but he stood still, allowing him to approach.

Eventually Geralt was close enough to tentatively move his hand over the one holding the dagger, carefully lowering it while keeping his eyes on the bard. Jaskier only resisted a little before allowing his arm to fall. Geralt gently took the dagger out of his now limp grip, tucking it in his belt.

The bard stood unnervingly still, smelling of fear, pain and blood. Geralt quickly scanned his eyes over his body, finding the source of the blood. The right side of his chemise was soaked, almost black in the darkness, partially hidden by the dark blue doublet he wore over it.

“Jaskier, we need to get that looked at. Come with me,” he said, trying to keep his anger at the mage out of his voice. He took the bard’s hand in his own slowly, pulling him carefully into walking. Jaskier followed after a moment of hesitation. He stayed a step behind Geralt, trying to distance himself as much as possible while having his hand held. Geralt let him, wanting him to feel as safe as was possible under these circumstances. He wanted to pick the bard up and run to Yennefer but knew it would scare the bard. He clearly had no idea who Geralt was or even his own name judging by the lack of response to it earlier. He only hoped Yennefer could reverse it.

He found Yennefer in the same place he had left her, looking over a small object she had presumably found on the mage’s body. When she saw Jaskier’s terrified state she placed the object down and went to them immediately.

She moved too fast for Jaskier’s liking and he tried to rip his hand out of Geralt’s. He kept a firm grip and held on, despite his struggling. Noticing this, Yennefer slowed down. “Hey, Jaskier. It’s just me.”

“He’s under some kind of curse. Doesn’t know who either of us are. Don’t even think he knows who he is.”

Yennefer went to stand in front of the bard. Geralt had to wrap his arms around him from behind to stop him from running away or hurting himself trying to escape. He couldn’t help but press on the wound in his side and Jaskier let out a small whimper of pain.

“Is he hurt?” Yennefer asked.

“On his side. I haven’t been able to check it yet.”

Yennefer placed her hands on the bard’s temples. His eyes were wide with fear as tears ran down his cheeks before she spelled him into unconsciousness. She never wanted to see that look on his face again. She could detect dark magic clouding his mind but it didn’t seem too complicated. She could remove it, but she needed to get back to her supplies before she could do so.

Geralt held him as he slumped into unconsciousness, effortlessly picking him up before he fell to the ground.

“I can remove the curse. He’ll be fine,” she said, opening a portal before stepping through. Geralt followed and they were outside Yennefer’s tent, far from the village they had come from.

The witcher ducked through the entrance and placed Jaskier on the bed. He removed his doublet and chemise to inspect the wound while Yennefer began mixing herbs at the table in the corner. He found a long, perfectly straight line cut into his skin surrounded by what appeared to be runes which had been carved into his pale flesh, shallow marks still bleeding sluggishly as though they had just been made. They spanned the entire length of his torso but only on his right side. The mage must have done it as part of the curse.

He began treating it, cleaning and stitching it where necessary. Yennefer came over to see the damage. “Blood magic. The wounds won’t heal until the curse has been removed or he bleeds to death.” she mumbled at the sight of the runes, still leaking blood after being treated. She returned to the table to add a few more herbs before she brewed the necessary potion.

When she was done, she placed the vial on a table next to the bed. “Hold him up,” she said. Geralt sat by his head, carefully moving him to rest against his chest while Yennefer poured the potion into his mouth. He swallowed reflexively and Yennefer began chanting in Elder.

As she finished, Jaskier jolted awake and tried to escape Geralt’s grasp. “Jaskier, calm down, it’s us,” Yennefer said, trying her best to sound reassuring. Jaskier, blinked at her for a moment as if not quite knowing who he was looking at. The witcher and the mage held their breath until Jaskier said, “Yennefer? What… Where am I?”

“You were taken by the a deranged mage. He cursed you using blood magic, but you’ll be fine now,” she explained. “Geralt, you should go back to the village and collect the reward before they think we died.” They had worked hard for the money after all and they were in desperate need of supplies.

With a customary grunt he moved himself from behind Jaskier, propping him up with a pillow instead. Jaskier hissed at the movement but was otherwise quiet. Yennefer opened a portal for him and he was gone.

“You’re unusually quiet bard.”

He didn’t say anything for a moment, worrying the mage further. Despite what she often said, she couldn’t help but like the bard.

“I remember the mage taking me, the ritual and then nothing. I don’t know what he had me do. He had full control of me.”

Yennefer considered his words for a moment. “Considering Geralt said he found you in a dark hallway with a dagger, I’d say not much.”

She realised her mistake a moment too late. “I had a dagger? How do you know I didn’t hurt anyone with it? How long was I gone anyway?”

“It’s been two days, no one has gone missing or turned up dead or injured since. I don’t think you left the castle.”

“But the others? There were two others there with me from the village. Where are they?” There were tears forming in his eyes and the last thing Yennefer wanted to see was him crying again.

When Yennefer had searched the castle for any signs of life after the battle, she could only find Geralt and Jaskier, no trace of any of the villagers who had been taken. “I’m sorry Jask, there wasn’t anyone else, but I do not think you killed them. The mage probably used them for something else. Blood magic is dark and forbidden, requiring many sacrifices. He probably used them as such after he had you under his control.”

Silence fell in the tent once more. Jaskier was trying to process everything that happened and Yennefer really wasn’t the best person to be dealing with this. She began examining the runes marking his skin. She was sure she could come up with something to make sure there was no scarring. Being marked with something like this made one susceptible to further blood magic.

She noticed some of the runes seemed to ne misshapen. “I think you had more control than you think. Some of these runes are useless. He may have mostly had control but he couldn’t have made you do anything you really didn’t want to do, like murder. I think that’s why you were wandering around the abandoned wing.” She hoped this information would calm him down.

She was almost certain this was what happened. After all, why fight when you can get a brainwashed slave to do it for you. It was easier to discard your mistakes than waste resources trying to fix them, especially when the resources were human lives. Hence why he was in the abandoned east wing. She carefully bandaged the wounds, pleased to see they had stopped bleeding.

Jaskier did seem to relax a little after taking it in. “Those poor women,” he mumbled, tears threatening to fall once more.

“You should try to rest. I’m going to make some food, I’ll wake you when it’s ready.”

Jaskier nodded before pulling the furs up to his chin and promptly falling asleep. He must have been exhausted to sleep so quickly. As promised she started a small cooking fire outside the tent and began preparing a stew, waiting for Geralt’s signal to return.

**Author's Note:**

> Come say hi to me on [tumblr!](https://blaidd-gwyn.tumblr.com/)


End file.
